Hoop Dreams

One of the critiques we heard today involved a stance on race in Hoop Dreams and other films in general. We had an argument in class about what the film was about and what we notice that I just wanted to comment on. First of all, I do agree that this film is not just about class, it's about race as well. For me, it was obvious that race was an issue. I can see how some people would view the film as mainly a class issue and others would view it as mainly a race issue. I think it is hard to critique the critique we heard because we all view things differently. Somebody who is black will probably notice the race issues more than somebody who is white. I feel as if it is in our nature to notice if the people we relate to are being portrayed in a negative way. Different types of audiences see things differently. I'm Jewish, so I notice different things from my friends in movies that incorporate religion. That's just the way it is. I think that this critic was just trying to show the film from a different perspective so we can look at it differently, and I thought she was correct. When I saw Hoop Dreams I immediately sympathized even more because they were black because I have seen countless other movies where a black person has had a tough life and lives in a tough neighborhood. It is a common subject, and I agree that we should question why there are so many films with this subject and how we should change it. I shouldn't be so familiar with the situation because I have seen it so many times in other films. I want to see something new.